Banishing Smokes and Twinkies

[thedrifter]

Banishing Smokes and Twinkies
By David White
The American | January 8, 2007

Twelve years ago, R.J. Reynolds took to the nation’s newspapers to combat proposed tax increases on tobacco.

“Today it’s cigarettes,” the ad said. “Will high-fat foods be next?”

At the time, tobacco companies were accused of fear-mongering. It was absurd, anti-smoking crusaders claimed, to suggest that their efforts would lead to attacks on tacos and cheese fries.

R.J. Reynolds and the tobacco industry lost the battle against sin taxes—all 50 states now levy a hefty excise on cigarettes. Rhode Island smokers pay an additional $2.46 per pack. New Jersey smokers pay an extra $2.40. That is on top of the $0.37 per-pack federal tax on cigarettes.

The spirit of anti-smoking paternalism extends far beyond the tax code. Remember when private property owners could allow their guests to smoke? The vast majority of restaurants, bars and even workplaces are privately owned, and can’t hold employees or customers against their will. Many of them responded to market pressures by voluntarily banning smoking. But beginning in 1998, when California issued the first statewide ban on smoking in bars and restaurants, the decision has been taken out of their hands. Today, there are 35 states with some form of smoking ban on the books. By New Year’s, smoking in bars, pubs, and nightclubs will be illegal in 13 states plus the District of Columbia.

In the fight against fatty foods, the battle has already surpassed the dire warnings of R.J. Reynolds. Rather than impose a Twinkie tax—which was first popularized by Yale University’s Kelly Brownell in a 1994 New York Times op-ed—local governments have outright banned unhealthy foods. California, Connecticut, and several local districts have banned soda sales in their schools. Fearing lawsuits, the country’s top three soft-drink companies will start removing sweetened drinks like Coke and iced teas from school cafeterias and vending machines this fall.

Childhood obesity is certainly a problem. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 16 percent of American children between 12 and 19 were obese in 2002, compared to 6.1 percent in 1974. What was once known as adult-onset diabetes is now affecting children, and physical activity has plummeted in all age groups.

But the regime of compulsory nutrition is rapidly encroaching on grown-ups, too. Earlier this month, New York became the first U.S. city to mandate the elimination of trans fats from all city restaurants. So much for Twinkies, Tastykakes, and Krispy Kremes. Other cities are expected to follow suit. As Cleveland City Councilman Kevin Conwell explained, “trans fat is a silent poison. It’s killing people in the city of Cleveland.” Seattle, Philadelphia, Washington, and Boston are also considering trans fat bans.

Many advocates of such bans share a general belief in government-knows-best social engineering. People are stupid, the theory goes, and are easily manipulated into consuming whatever’s on the menu at Jim-Bob’s local barbeque. Therefore, the government has a responsibility to discourage—or even prohibit—unhealthy behavior. As a result, responsible New Yorkers will no longer be able to buy a greasy cannoli on Mulberry Street.

Like smoking, the choice to eat high-calorie foods might not always be prudent. But government prohibition of that choice is a remarkable confiscation of freedom. We have crossed the line from banning things that are unsafe to banning things that are unhealthy.

For other public health advocates, however, the justification for such measures is rooted in public health expenditures. Unhealthy diets, they point out, contribute to obesity, and obesity imposes higher medical costs on everyone.

According to a 2003 study published in Health Affairs, one of the nation’s leading health policy journals, healthcare costs associated with excessive weight total more than $90 billion each year, of which half is paid for by Medicare and Medicaid. It is America’s poorest citizens who are the fattest, and taxpayers are footing the bills.

But the logic that shared healthcare expenditures justify the confiscation of personal responsibility brushes aside the fact that a cost is only imposed on taxpayers if the government picks up the bill. Further, it is a terrifyingly slippery slope. So many different behaviors affect healthcare that eventually, in the interest of cutting costs, the government will seek to micromanage each individual’s personal decisions. No longer will one be able to eat junk food, have unprotected sex, sleep less than six hours each night, or skip flossing.

If the government is responsible for making Americans lose weight, for example, why not mandate exercise? Is such a policy really any different from mandating what foods we can and can’t eat?

It turns out the smoking and obesity issues are linked, after all: In October 2002, a study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that declines in smoking have contributed to America’s expanding waistlines. Cigarettes were originally marketed to women as, in part, an appetite suppressant—and quitting still means gaining weight in most cases.

So perhaps there’s a way to make both sides of the obesity debate happy: If we start giving cigarettes away for free, we’ll cut public health expenditures and reduce obesity.
But then again, where would you smoke?

Ellie

[OLE SARG]

Let's see, our PC politicians don't like cigarettes so they tax the **** out of them. NEXT, the fastfood industry will start feeling the wrath of our "godly" politicians in Washington who seem to have their own agenda when they get among the pseudo-elite on the hill. It would be nice if our dumbarses we send to Washington would do the will of the people who sent their fatarses there.

SEMPER FI,

[3cats1turtle]

What about the silly, misguided fools who smoke AND have a cup of coffee and a canole/doughnut/sweetroll with the morning paper? They don't smoke instead of eat sweets. Heck they don't even eat sweets instead of smoke. They do both.

[thedrifter]

What about the silly, misguided fools who smoke AND have a cup of coffee and a canole/doughnut/sweetroll with the morning paper? They don't smoke instead of eat sweets. Heck they don't even eat sweets instead of smoke. They do both.

That is YOUR Opinion....

We All Have OUR own and We RESPECT them

Ellie

[Sgt Leprechaun]

It's not a big surprise. That's the whole idea behind the 'nanny state'. "We" (the royal we here) are too 'dumb' to know what is "good for us", therefore, only 'the state' is prepared and equipped to ensure our cradle to grave care. The same principles apply to homosexual marriage, banning dodgeball in schools, gun control, etc etc.

Creeping Socialism at it's very finest.

[DWG]

What about the silly, misguided fools who smoke AND have a cup of coffee and a canole/doughnut/sweetroll with the morning paper? They don't smoke instead of eat sweets. Heck they don't even eat sweets instead of smoke. They do both.

I wasn't aware that we had met-but you seem to know me so well!

[DWG]

Let's see, our PC politicians don't like cigarettes so they tax the **** out of them. NEXT, the fastfood industry will start feeling the wrath of our "godly" politicians in Washington who seem to have their own agenda when they get among the pseudo-elite on the hill. It would be nice if our dumbarses we send to Washington would do the will of the people who sent their fatarses there.

SEMPER FI,

You mean like hold hearings on steroids in sports? Or trying to call a person in a coma to testify so they can obstruct a state court in a right to die situation? 90% of what congress does anymore is trivial BS that does nothing for the good of the country but gets the politicians TV time. I am still trying to figure out the baseball/steroid-national interest angle!

[DWG]

That is YOUR Opinion....

We All Have OUR own and We RESPECT them

Ellie

Sounds like somebody else is a coffee drinking, marlboro sucking junkie with a sweet tooth! I knew I wasn't the only one!

[FistFu68]

I LOVE GETTING UP IN THE MORNING,HAVING SOME STRONG JAVA;EATING A LONGJOHN FROM THE BAKERY AROUND THE CORNER! THEN SMOKING MY HEMMINGWAY,SHORT-STORY CIGAR!(FUENTE)!!!OH,WHEN THEY TOOK,PHYS.ED OUTTA SCHOOL;WAS WHEN THEY STARTED DESTROYING THE HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN!!! S/F 10/4~20/20

[thedrifter]

Sounds like somebody else is a coffee drinking, marlboro sucking junkie with a sweet tooth! I knew I wasn't the only one!

What do You think keeps me going all day...

Ellie

[3cats1turtle]

Sounds like somebody else is a coffee drinking, marlboro sucking junkie with a sweet tooth! I knew I wasn't the only one!

Glad someone sees the sweet sarcasm in my words...

[DWG]

I LOVE GETTING UP IN THE MORNING,HAVING SOME STRONG JAVA;EATING A LONGJOHN FROM THE BAKERY AROUND THE CORNER! THEN SMOKING MY HEMMINGWAY,SHORT-STORY CIGAR!(FUENTE)!!!OH,WHEN THEY TOOK,PHYS.ED OUTTA SCHOOL;WAS WHEN THEY STARTED DESTROYING THE HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN!!! S/F 10/4~20/20

Gawd knows, you sure sound like a prime example of the great shape PE will get you in! Between the two of us we probably keep half a dozen doctors in fast cars and hot nurses.

[DWG]

What about the silly, misguided fools who smoke AND have a cup of coffee and a canole/doughnut/sweetroll with the morning paper? They don't smoke instead of eat sweets. Heck they don't even eat sweets instead of smoke. They do both.

Is this a great Country, or what?

[FistFu68]

RUNNING MY YOUNG AZZ AS A YOUNG BOY,ONCE UPON A TIME;WAS A GREAT FOUNDATION! HELL, I STILL HAVE ALL MY HAIR;& BEST OF ALL;I DON'T NEED VIAGRA!!!(LOL) SO SEND THEM(FEMALE)NURSE'S ON OVER~MARINE! I'VE GOT A DULL SURPRISE FOR 'EM!!! SEMPER FI!!!

[DWG]

I've got all my hair too, I just grow it out of my ears now! Best to stay away from them docs. I went in two years ago, fat, dumb and happy, with a head ache. I've seen a dozen different specialists that can't figure out the headaches but every DAMN one of them found something wrong with me (in their specialty, of course). I am afraid that several Irish distillerys have had to lay off workers since then (not all of them). Now I'm still fat and dumb but I ain't that happy about it anymore! I'm starting to believe that living "right" doesn't make you live longer, it just seems like it because it is so DAMN boring! Screw it! PARTY ON!!!